Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume I, Part 27

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1148

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founded in 1865 the first national bank in the Southern States. The town of Austell in Cobb County was named for this master of finance. Atlanta's present chief of police, James Litchfield Beavers, whose recent reform measures have given him wide note, was born in Campbell.

CARROLL

Created by Legislative Act, December 11, 1826. Named for Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, a Maryland patriot, who lived to be the last sur- viving Signer of the Declaration of Independence. The County of Carroll was formed from a part of the land acquired by the State, under the treaty of Indian Springs in 1825, and was originally one of the largest counties in Georgia. Carrollton, the county -- seat, was named for the stately old Colonial home of Charles Carroll, on the Chesapeake. The old patriot signed himself "Charles Carroll, of Carrollton," so that no mistake might be made concerning his identity, in the event his head was to be forfeited as a penalty for his patriotism in espousing the freedom of the Colonies. When first organized in 1826 Carroll embraced in part five other counties: Campbell, Douglas, Haralson, Heard and Troup.

Villa Rica : It was the discovery of gold in 1826 Gold Discovered. that gave to the oldest town in Wes- tern Georgia the musical Spanish name by which it is today known: Villa Rica, or "city of riches." The treaty at Indian Springs was no sooner ratified than numbers of settlers began to spread them- selves leisurely over the fertile area of country to the west of the Chattahoochee River; but when the tidings went forth that in the upper part of the new county there were rich deposits of gold the feverish influx of popula- tion began to resemble an ocean swell. Villa Rica became a sort of Klondyke, to which the argonauts of the period rushed with pick in hand to unearth the fortunes which they here expected to find. But the yellow metal did not exist in sufficient quanities to satisfy the general expec- tation. It was profitably mined by some of the new comers, who were fortunate enough to strike rich veins, but most of the gold seekers were disappointed and in time drifted to other localities. There was no market or railroad nearer than Augusta, Ga. At first the mining

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industry was carried on by means of panning the dirt from the surface of the earth in tin or copper cans, but eventually this crude process yielded to more approved methods. Three years after the discovery of gold in Carroll, the yellow metal was found to exist in much larger quantities, in the neighborhood of Dahlonega, and the centre of minig operations in Georgia shifted toward the north, but not a few of the mines in the neighborhood of Villa Rica were worked with profit until the time of the Civil War, netting substantial dividends to the own- ers. In 1862, the Georgia Pacific Railway, now the Southern, reached the place where Villa Rica now stands, and gradually the old town disappeared.

Uncle Abe Harrison was one of the first settlers at Villa Rica. He was quite an odd character. The follow- ing anecdote in regard to him is still told in Carroll :* There was an old fellow who came to town every Satur- day to get drunk. His voice being cracked, he talked both fine and coarse; and, on the way home, he fell into a gold pit and began to cry for help, at the top of his lungs. As Uncle Abe rode along, the old man exclaimed, "Hello, somebody come and help me out of this pit!" The first part of the sentence was bass, the latter trebble. Uncle Abe replied, at once, "Help each other, there are two of you."

Bowden was incorporated in 1836. This town is situated near the Alabama line. It is a place of some culture. Dr. W. W. Fitts established a school here soon after the locality was settled; but he abandoned teaching for medicine and moved to Carrollton where he practiced his profession for forty years. In 1857, Colonel Charles

* Private Joe Cobb in "Carroll County and Her People," an historical pamphlet.

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A. McDaniel and Major John M. Richardson, established Bowden College, a flourishing school at the outbreak of the war. Colonel McDaniel was a splendid teacher and a magnetic orator. He was killed at the head of his regiment in the battle of Perryville, Ky. Major Richard- son lost a limb during the struggle, but survived. In 1868, the college having been reopened, he was made president but he moved to Carrollton soon afterwards and thence to Texas. He was a man of gifts. Some of his productions in verse possess an unusually high order of merit. He also published two military works and trans- lated "Dies Irae." John W. Adamson, the father of the present Congressman from the Fourth District, was one of the early settlers in this neighborhood. The Mc- Daniels and the Shellnuts were also among the first comers, together with Dr. H. M. Williams.

Whitesburg was settled as a town in 1872. J. A. Mullen built the first store. Hutchinson College, located at this place, was named for Arthur Hutchinson, the founder, one of the pioneer manufacturers of this sec- tion of Georgia.

Carrollton, the county-seat of Carroll, was laid off when the county was first organized and lacks only a few months of being as old as Villa Rica, which was at first only a mining camp. It was settled by an excellent class of people, including the Mandevilles, the Merrills, the Kingsberys, the Bealls, the Longs, the Blalocks, the Bensons, and other well known families. At the pres- ent time it is quite an enterprising commercial center.

- The Murder of General McIntosh. Volume II.

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Original Settlers. Hon. L. P. Mandeville in an article written for the press in 1894, gives the following list of early settlers, most of whom located in Carroll during the first five years after the new county was opened: Needham Jarnigan, Isaiah Beck, Hiram Sharp, Thomas Bolten, Sanders Ray, Zadoc Bonner, his two brothers, John and Thomas; Elijah McPherson, Allen G. Fambro, Thomas Chandler, Lindsey Chandler, John T. Chambers, Appleton Mandeville, Sanford Kingsbery, General William Beall, Isaac E. Cobb, Matthew Reid, Colonel W. O. Wagnon, Jeremiah Cole, Levi Benson, William Merrill, Henry S. Curtis, W. G. Springer, Joseph Chambers, John Robinson, Dr. J. N. Rodgers, John Long, H. P. Mabry, Thomas Roddy, A. M. Mc- Whorter, Larkin Turner, David Bryant, Major W. D. Jones, Barney Mitchell, Giles S. Boggess, Levi Hamilton, Thomas McGuire, Ranse Hopkins, Benjamin Merrill, George Reid, and Emanuel Martin.

The first Superior Court was held in a cabin on the Chattahoochee River, near McIntosh Reserve. The late Thomas Chandler was the first lawyer to practice his profession in Carroll. He lived to be ninety years of age and earned the appellation of "Honest Tom." The county-seat was first located at what is known as Old Carrollton, but was changed to the present site in 1830.

William T. Price, a private in the patriot army of '76, was granted a pension while a resident of Carroll, in 1844, at which time he was quite an old man. Accord- ing to White, William Coggins, a soldier of the Revolu- tion, died in Carroll, aged 94 years.

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Carroll's Distin- In 1833, Hon. Samuel C. Candler guished Residents. located at Villa Rica and opened the first general store in the town. He was a descendant of the famous old Revolutionary patriot, Colonel William Candler, and was himself a man of sturdy character and of rugged independence of thought. He was not only a merchant but a planter ; and, due to his positive type of mind, he was also some- thing of a leader. Hence we are not surprised to find him serving in both branches of the General Assembly, where he was prominent among the champions of educa- tion. Though he supported the Douglas ticket and op- posed the policy of secession, he bowed to the sovereign will of Georgia. As an evidence of his strong mentality, several of his children have attained to the most eminent distinction. It is doubtful if any other family in Geor- gia can boast such an array of names as the product of a single generation. Milton A. Candler became a mem- ber of Congress from Georgia and a lawyer of high rank. Ezekiel S. Candler Sr. settled in Mississippi, for the practice of the legal profession, and his son, Ezekiel S. Candler, Jr., is at present a member of the National House of Representatives, where he has served for sev- eral terms. Asa G. Candler, another son of the Carroll county pioneer, is the famous manufacturer, banker, and philanthropist, of Atlanta, Ga. Warren A. Candler is the well known Bishop of the M. E. Church, South, a man of great eloquence and learning, formerly president of Emory College, at Oxford, Ga. William B. Candler, is a successful merchant and banker of Villa Rica. John S. Candler, the youngest member of this noted family, commanded a regiment of volunteers in the Spanish- American War, was Judge of the Stone Mountain Circuit and rose to the Supreme Bench of the State.

The Candler building in Atlanta is a memorial to the parents of these distinguished men and each year the members of the family gather in full force, to decorate the tablet with flowers.

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John W. Adamson was an early settler in the vicinity of Bowden. Here his son, William C. Adamson was born. The latter studied law, became Judge of the City Court of Carrollton, and in 1897 was elected to Congress, where he has since been a recognized leader in the national councils.

General William Beall at an early period settled just north of Carrollton. He was an officer in the Georgia militia, a farmer and a legislator of wide influence in local affairs.

Dr. John Slaughter located at Villa Rica, in 1844. He became an important factor in political affairs, organ- ized a company in 1861, and rose to the rank of Lieuten- ant-Colonel.

John Long held the office of Clerk of the Superior Court of Carroll for forty years. His son, Benjamin M. Long, was the first male child born at the county-seat.

Appleton Mandeville, a native of New York, was one of the pioneer merchants of Carrollton. He was a man of rare force of character and of sound business judg- ment, whose counsel was widely sought and followed. He built a splendid home on an eminence to the sontli- west of the town and became an important factor in the commercial and industrial development of Carrollton. His two sons, Hon. L. P. and Hon. L. C. Mandeville, have inherited his constructive type of mind. They both be- came prominent in political and mercantile life and both men of parts.

Dr. John N. Rodgers was one of the best public speakers in the State before the war. He lived at Car- rollton. On one occasion, the party which was locally in power held a meeting, at which time it was quietly whis- pered around that if an opposition leader arose to speak they should walk out in a body, leaving him to address an empty hall. Dr. Rodgers was present at this meeting and when he arose to reply every one left except Henry Chance. Though not in agreement with the speaker he remained. "Go," said the doctor, when he found him-

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self deserted by the crowd. "You do not want to hear the truth. You are afraid to hear the truth." Uncle Henry Chance then spoke up. "Proceed, doctor," said he, "I am here." "No," said the doctor, "I will not do so. The truth never did make any impression upon you."

CATOOSA

Created by Legislative Act, December 5, 1853 from Walker County. Named for the famous Springs which began to attract health seekers to this region before the removal of the Cherokees by whom the locality was first designated "Catoosa." Ringgold, the county-seat, was named for Major Ringgold, a gallant Marylander, who fell mortally wounded at Palo Alto, in the first engagement of the Mexican War.

The Battle of Ringgold. Ringgold was the scene of a fierce con- flict in the late fall of 1863. Says Prof. Joseph T. Derry: "As General Bragg was retreating from Missionary Ridge after his disastrous defeat, General Cleburne halted his division at a gap in Taylor's Ridge and inflicted a decisive repulse upon the pursuing Federal army under Hooker, thus saving the artillery of the Confederates and the supply trains. For this gallant battle of Ringgold, General Cleburne received the thanks of the Confederate Congress .*

Original Settlers. See Walker, from which County Catoosa was formed.

To the pioneer list may be added : Pressley Yates, J. T. McConnell, John R. Anderson, Dr. Thomas Hackett, Capt. R. J. Jones, Dr. W. J. Bazemore, and others, be- sides a number of old established families, including the Wards, the Wares, the Hixes, the Magills, the Wigginses, the Manns, the Thomasons and the Trundles.

* Georgia Historical and Industrial, p. 572, Atlanta 1901.

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CHARLTON

Created by Legislative Act, February 18, 1854, from Wayne and Appling Counties. Named for Hon. Robert M. Charlton, of Savannah, a noted ante- bellum jurist and statesman. Folkston, the county-seat, was named for a prominent family of Charlton, Dr. A. P. Folks, of Waycross, Ga., belongs to this connection.

Robert Milledge Charlton was a man of varied and splendid gifts. He was not only a statesman of high rank but a scholar and a poet. His father, Thomas Usher Pulaski Charlton, was one of the foremost men of his day in Georgia, who served six terms as Mayor of Savan- nah and wrote a life of Major-General James Jackson. His maternal grandfather, Thomas Walter, of South Carolina, was an eminent scientist, and the author of a standard work on botany entitled "Flora Caroliniana." The younger Charlton followed closely in the footsteps of his distinguished father. At the age of twenty-eight he became Judge of the Eastern Circuit, and four years later Mayor of Savannah, an office to which he was twice re-elected. As a lawyer he encountered no superior at the bar during a period famed for great intellects. In 1844, he succeeded John MacPherson Berrien in the Senate of the United States; and while holding this posi- tion was made regent of Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C. He was also one of the original incor- porators of the Georgia Historical Society, of Savannah. The literary tastes of Judge Charlton bore fruit in a number of contributions to the press. As a writer his style was felicitous and forceful. Besides contributing to the Knickerbocker Magazine a series of sketches descrip- tive of life on the coast entitled "Leaves from the Port- folio of a Georgian Lawyer" he published in 1839 a volume of poems, some of which are characterized by rare beauty of finish. The collection includes several poems from the pen of his brother, Dr. T. J. Charlton, who died at an early age. Judge Charlton was born in Savannah, on January 19, 1807-the same day on which the South's great soldier, Robert E. Lee, first saw the

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light. He died in Savannah, on January 18, 1854. His son, Judge Walter G. Charlton, is an eminent jurist and scholar of Savannah.

Center Village: An Formerly one of the most impor- Old Cotton Market. tant towns on the old stage road between Milledgeville and St. Mary's was Center Village, a sort of commercial rendezvous where cotton buyers congregated to purchase crops. Some of these were permanent residents, includ- ing: Stephen McCall, John Mizzell, General T. H. Hil- liard, of Indian war fame, Peter Mumford, John Villa- longa, and others. Stephen McCall is said to have been the only teetotaler in the village, but while he tabooed whiskey it is said that he sold everything else "from a hoop-skirt to a trace-chain." Other residents were-the Vernons, the Laceys, the Hatchers, the Vickerys, the Roddenberys, the Johnsons, the Cains, the Wainwrights, the Lowthers, the Bakers, and the Holzendorffs. The Okefinokee Swamp was only a few miles distant, and it was not in the least unusual to see deer cropping herbs on the outskirts of the town.

Some ten miles distant from Center Village may still be seen the ruins of an old stronghold built of tabby and known to the early settlers by the name of Burnt Fort. The founder of the Colony may have built it to protect the frontier. But the probabilities are that it was con- structed by General Floyd, whose home was on the Satilla River, in this immediate neighborhood.

The Okefinokee Within the present borders of Charl-

Swamp. ton, lies a part of the famous Okefinokee Swamp, one of the greatest submerged areas to be found on the continent of North America. It

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is rivaled in magnitude only by the Everglades of Florida and by the Dismal Swamp in Virginia. During the various Indian campaigns it was a favorite hiding place of the red men; and as late as the time of the Civil War deserters found it a convenient asylum of refuge. The savage imagination made it the fruitful source of a number of legends. (Volume II.)

Original Settlers. See Appling and Wayne, from which Counties Charlton was formed.

To the list of pioneers may be added: F. M. Smith and H. M. Merchon who represented Charlton in the secession convention at Milledgeville; also the early residents of Center Village above enumerated.

CHATHAM

Created by the State Constitution of 1777, from two of the old Colonial Parishes: Christ Church and St. Philip, though including only a part of the latter. Named for William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, one of the most illustrious of England's Prime Ministers. Both in and out of office, Lord Chatham was the uncompromising foe of oppression. He boldly maintained the doctrine that taxation without representation was unjust: and his attiude of resistance to the oppressive measures of Parliament, under the ministry of Lord North, greatly endeared him to the English Colonies in America. Six years after resigning the Premiership of England, he made his last spech in the House of Lords. At this time he opposed with great vehemence a motion made by the Duke of Richmond to recognize the independence of the Colonies. His reason was that he did not wish to see the empire dismembered; and he hoped by a policy of conciliation to win them back to the Crown. Overcome by the ardor of his emotions he fell to the floor exhausted in what proved to be the clutches of death. When the Colony of Georgia became a State, in 1777, the various Parishes, twelve in number, were converted into seven large counties, one of which was called Liberty to commemorate the patriotism of the famous Midway settle- ment, while the others were named for the great English champions of Colonial rights, as follows: Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn and Richmond. To this number an eighth county was added, formed from lands acquired by Governor Wright from the Indians, in 1773, to which was given the name of Wilkes. Savannah, the county-seat of Chatham, was named for the river which it overlooks. The term was doubtless derived from the Spanish word, "sabanna," meaning a grassy plain. Savannah is the Ocean Gateway of Georgia and the most important sea-port on the South

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Atlantic coast. The financial stability of this time-honored metropolis of the tide-water is proverbial. There has never been a bank failure in the history of Savannah.1

Lord Chatham's On April 7, 1778, the Earl of Chatham

Last Speech in made his last appearance in the House

House of Peers. of Peers. It was a day long to be remembered in the annals of England. The scene has doubtless never been surpassed in dramatic pathos; and while engaged in the delivery of his great speech on this occasion, the superb master of modern eloquence received his death summons. Says a well- known account:2 "Lord Chatham was ignorant of the real state of feeling in America and still hoped to win the Colonies back. He therefore heard with deep concern of the Duke of Richmond's intention, on the Seventh of April, to move an address to the King, advising him to affect a conciliation with America, involving her inde- pendence. Such a measure he thought disastrous to the welfare of England. He determined, therefore, to take a bold stand against it; and, accordingly, was car- ried to the House of Lords, to raise his voice against the dismemberment of the Empire. 'He was led into the House by his son, the Hon. William Pitt, and by his son- in-law, Lord Mahon. He was dressed in a rich suit of black velvet and covered to the knees in flannel. Within his large wig, there was little more of his countenance seen than his acquiline nose and his penetrating eye, which still retained its native fire. He looked like a dying man, yet never was seen a more dignified figure. He appeared like a being of a superior species. The Lords stood up and made a lane for him; and with the gracefulness of deportment for which he was so emin- ently distinguished, he bowed to them as he proceeded.' With profound attention, he listened to the Duke of Richmond's speech. When the time came for reply, he

1 This statement is taken from a publication entitled "Savannah," compiled and edited by Joseph F. Gray, and issued by the Savannah Cham- ber of Commerce. Mr. Gray is one of Georgia's Railroad Commissioners.

3 World's Best Orations. Edited by Justice David J. Brewer, Vol. III. pp. 10-86-1088, St. Louis, Ferd P. Kiser, 1899.

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arose, supported by his two relations; and, lifting his hand from his crutch, he raised it in the most impressive manner heavenward. To quote an eye-witness, 'the reverence, the attention, the stillness of the House was most affecting: had any one dropped a handkerchief, the noise would have been heard.' At first he spoke in a low tone, with the weakness of one who labors under a severe indisposition ; but gradually as he warmed with the sub- ject, his voice became louder and more distinct, his into- nations grew more and more commanding, and his whole manner became solemn and impressive in the highest degree. When he had taken his seat, Lord Temple said to him: 'You forgot to mention what we have been talking about. Shall I get up?' 'No,' replied Lord Chatham, 'I will do it by and by'. When the Duke of Richmond had concluded his speech, Lord Chatham made a strenuous effort to rise, but after repeated efforts to gain an erect position, he suddenly pressed his hand to his heart and fell down in convulsions. The Duke of Cumberland, Lord Temple, Lord Stanford, and other peers caught him as he fell; while his son, the celebrated William Pitt, then a youth of seventeen, sprang forward to support him. The debate was immediately adjourned. Lord Chatham was conveyed in a state of insensibility from the House to his country residence at Hayes, where he lingered a few days and expired on May 11, 1778, aged seventy years." He was honored with a public funeral in Westminster Abbey, where a statue was erected to his memory at the public expense. In addition, the Government voted 20,000 pounds sterling for the payment of his debts, and conferred a pension of 4,000 pounds a year on his de- scendants. The inscription on the tomb reads:

"Erected by the King and Parliament as a testi- mony to the virtues of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, during whose administration Divine Providence exal- ted Great Britain to an height of prosperity and glory unknown to any former age."

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Savannah Founded: Four months were devoted to the February 12, 1733. task of selecting the first settlers of Georgia. Only the best among the needy population of England were chosen for this humane experiment. No debtor was taken without the consent of his creditor; no criminals were accepted; and no man was received whose object was to desert those dependent upon him for support. The debtor prisons were carefully examined, and the worthiest of the unhappy inmates were taken. The plans for sailing were made with care. At high noon, on November 16, 1732, the good ship Anne spread her white wings and began to plow the Thames on her perilous voyage across the Atlantic. There were thirty-five families on board, numbering one hundred and twenty emigrants,' under the personal care of the illus- trious Oglethorpe himself. The Trustees of the Colony embraced members of the nobility and men of the highest rank and station in England.2

"It has been idly charged that, in the beginning, Georgia's colonists were impecunious, depraved, lawless, and abandoned, that the settlement at Savannah was a sort of Botany Bay, and that Yamacraw Bluff was peopled by renegades from justice. The suggestion is utterly without foundation. The truth is, no applicant was ad- mitted to the privileges of enrollment as an emigrant until he had been subjected to a preliminary examination and had furnished satisfactory proof that he was fairly entitled to the benefits. Other American Colonies were founded and augmented by individuals coming at will, without question, for personal gain, and bringing no cer- tificate of present or past good conduct. Georgia, on the contrary, exhibits the unique spectacle of permitting no

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Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume I, Part 27

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933 Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co. Number of Pages: 1148

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1148